WEBVTT GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2016 ON SOCIALMEDIA.SOLEDAD: AS WE CLOSE OUT 201THIS WEEKEND, IT'S NATURAL TTAKE A LOOK BACK.BUT, TO BE BLUNT, A LOT OFPEOPLE ALREADY WANT TO FORGET2016WE HAVE BEEN DELUGED WITHNEGATIVE NEWS AND NASTY ONLINECHATTER, AND IT JUST KEEPSCOMING.THE KU KLUX KLAN TOOK THEOPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE THROUGHROXBORO, NORTH CAROLINA,SHOWN IN THIS VIDEO, RALLYING INSUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECTRACIST TWEETS, THIS TIME AIMEDAT MINNESOTA'S MALL OF AMERIAS THEY HIRED AFRICAN-AMERICAN SANTA CLAUS FORTHE FIRST TIME.AND AFTER A SUBWAY ASSAULT ONONE A MUSLIM STUDENT, THEPRESIDENT OF NEW YORK'SBARUCH COLLEGE SENT A MESSAGE TOEVERYONE ON CAMPUS, ASKING NOTONLY FOR CIVILITY BUT FORSTUDENTS TO ESCORT EACH OTHER ONSUBWAYS AND OTHER PUBLICSPACES.SO WHAT CAN REASONABLE PEOPLE DOIN TIMES LIKE THESE?BEFORE THIS ELECTION SEASON EVENSTARTED, WE SAT DOWN WITJONATHAN GREENBLATT OF THEANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE, WHOSETHOUGHTS SEEM EVENMORE IMPORTANT NOW.JONATHAN I THINK THIS ELECTION: SEASON HAS BEEN PRETTYTROUBLING ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS,BUT AT THE ADL, WE HAVE BETRACKING ANTI-SEMITISM ANDBIGOTRY OF ALL KINDS FOR OVER100 YEARS.WE WERE FOUNDED WITH THATMISSION IN MIND.AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ATEXTREMISTS AND HATERS ON TLEFT AND THE RIGHT FORGENERATIONS.SOLEDAD: MANY PEOPLE ARE TALKIABOUT THE ALT-RIGHT, SO DESCRIBEFOR OUR AUDIENCE WHAT EXACTLYTHAT IS.JONATHAN: SURE, SO THE ALT RIGHTIS A TERM IS USED TO DESCRIBESORT OF A LOOSE COLLECTION OFRACISTS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTSONLINE.TO BE HONEST, I DON'T EVEN LIKETHE TERM ALT-RIGHT, BECAUSE ITSORT OF SOUNDS SNAPPY OR SEXLIKE ALT-ROCK.WE SHOULD CALL THEM WHAT THEYARE -- THE ALT-RIGHT IS ALLNUTS.THESE ARE WHITE SUPREMACISTS WHOARE ANTI-SEMITIC,ANTI-IMMIGRANT, ANTI-MUSLIOPENLY RACIST, OPENLYHOMOPHOBIC, AND THEY OPPOSETHINGS LIKE DIVERSITY ANDPLURALISTO BE FRANK, THEY DON'T REALLYUNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES AMERICAGREAT.THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR A LOTIME.YOU KNOW, WHITE SUPREMACY HATAKEN MANY FORMS OVER THE YEARS,THE KKK, THE ARYAN NATIONS, NEONAZIS.WHAT HAS BEEN A HALLMARK OF THISGROUP IN THIS TIME HAS BEENTHEIR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ANDTECHNOLOGY TO SPREAD THEIR AWFULSORT OF MESSAGE.SOLEDAD: HAVE YOU SEEN EITHEPARTY WORKING TO STAMP OUT SOMEOF THESE CONVERSATIONS, ON THELEFT OR THE RIGHT?JONATHAN: WELL, I MEAN, LOOK,LET'S BE CLEAR, THIS ISN'T ONLA PROBLEM OF ONE PARTY, ANWE'RE -- AS A NONPROFITORGANIZATION -- NONPARTISAN.SO THERE IS MORE THAT BOTHPARTIES CAN DO, I THINK, ANDIT'S INCUMBENT ON US TO ASK OURPUBLIC OFFICIALS, TO ASK OURPOLITICAL LEADERS, TO SPEAK OUFORCEFULLY AND FIRMLY ANDSWIFTLY WHEN THIS KIND OFINTOLERANCE FINDS ITS WAY INTOTHE MAINSTREAM.SOLEDAD: IT SEEMS TO ME THTHAT NOT BE QUITE ENOUGH, IFMAY YOU'RE TALKING ABOTWITTER, TO SPEAK OUTFORCEFULLY.I THINK OFTEN THAT'S SORT OFIGNORED.WHAT'S THE STRATEGY THAT YOURECOMMEND FOR DEALING WITH THEM?JONATHAN: I'LL TELL YOU -- WE'VEBEEN ENGAGED WITH FACEBOOK ANDGOOGLE AND TWITTER FOR MANYYEARS.WE RUN A WORKING GROUP WITHTHESE COMPANIEWE'VE HELPED THEM DEVELOP THEIRBEST PRACTICES AND WHEN TO TAKEDOWN HATE SPEECH WHEN IT CROSSESTHE LINE FROM WHAT WOULDOTHERWISE BE FREE SPEECH.THEY HAVE RECENTLY, PARTICULARTWITTER, INTRODUCED SOME NEWFILTERING TECHNOLOGY TO TRY AMELIORATE THE PROBLEM, TO TRYTO TAMP DOWN ON SOME OF THE MOSTTOXIC HATE.BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY MORETHAT THE COMPANIES NEED TO DO TOAPPLY, IN A FIRM WAY, THE SOOF FILTERS THAT WILL ALLOW ANYINDIVIDUAL TO USE TWITTER ORSOCIAL MEDIA WITHOUT FEAR ONLINE HARASSMENT OR CYBER-HATE.AND FINALLY, I THINK IT ISINCUMBENT UPON ALL OF US ASINDIVIDUALS -- WE ARE USERS OFTHESE SYSTEMS, AND WE HAVE THEABILITY TO STAND UP, SPEAK OUT,USE OUR VOICE, LEVERAGE OURVOTE, TO CALL OUT THIS KIND OFHATE WHEN WE SEE IIT IS OUR DIVERSITY.IT IS OUR PLURALISM.IT IS THIS MELTING POT THATMAKES AMERICA AN EXTRAORDINACOUNTRY, PERHAPS THE MOSTSIGNIFICANT IN THE HISTORY OFTHE WORLD.AND IN ORDER FOR OUR GREATDEMOCRATIC EXPERIMENT TOCONTINUE TO FLOURISH, WE NEED TOFLUSH THESE BAD IDEAS DOWN THETOILET.SOLEDAD: JONATHAN GREENBLATT ISCEO AND NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF T

ADL Director: Both Parties Must Speak Out Against Bigotry

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Updated: 6:22 PM EST Jan 3, 2017

In an election year rife with tension and aggression, some argue that the partisan divide has also given rise to the normalization of white supremacy. An emboldened Ku Klux Klan paraded through Roxboro, North Carolina in celebration of President-elect Donald Trump’s win. Minnesota’s Mall of America dealt with racist tweets in response to a black Santa Claus at the mall. According to recent report from the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims have risen 67 percent.